Dealt A Hand
by RB. Simon
Summary: In a very different world, humans are kept locked away in ghettos for the ruling vampires to come in as they wish. This is a different take on the love story of Edward and Bella. Please take a look!
1. Forward

**A/N: First of all, I would like to thank all who have honored me with deciding to view my story. This is a story that I have thought about writing for a long time and finally decided to go for. It is about Bella and Edward but a different story altogether. Edward is still a vampire and he can still read minds (Bella is still immune to him as well), however, in this world that I have made, Edward is not a "vegetarian" by any means and Bella's blood still sings to him, though for reasons that you will find out, Edward does not act upon his desire. **

**In this story, Bella is a slightly different character as is Edward, though I would say that Bella deviates from Stephenie Meyer's original character model more so than Edward. You will find that Bella is a bit stronger and more insightful then Bella from the Twilight Saga. **

**All aspects of vampires are in tune with the vampires of the Twilight Saga (i.e. no fangs, sparkle in sunlight, extremely strong and fast, super senses, etc.). The world in which this story takes place, however, is very different and so is the treatment of humans by vampires. **

**Thank you, and believe me when I tell you that everything will make more sense as you continue reading. I am specifically being vague for the purpose your entertainment and enjoyment, so sit back, have a cup of tea, and enjoy the ride.**

**Forward:**

When you look at your life and decide that you would be better off not living, there is something to be said.

When you walk across the streets of what you consider your home and you find nothing but pain, suffering, and fear, it is clear that something is wrong. But when you are dealt a certain hand, how can anything change?

This isn't a simple matter of poverty; no one can rise above their low place and become greater. Enclosed within high stone walls with gates that will never open, we will never leave. Death is the only escape and we can only hope that it comes naturally, or from starvation or over a fight over what little scrap of food can be found. Any death would be better than what we would receive if we were taken, taken away from this ghetto where we are held as cattle and to the other side of one of those stone walls. On the other side of this one wall is not freedom, nor is it the dark, misty swamp that is our terrain. What lay behind the wall is certain death, delivered by monsters who think of their prey as nothing more than cattle.

It is never known when another collection will come and whether the people you see today will still be around tomorrow. When the monsters come and brutally capture their terrified prey, it is known that you will never see those people again.

Every day is lived without hope, how can there be when there is nothing that can be done to change your fate?

Yes, surely nothing can ever change.


	2. Abrupt End

**A/N: Hello readers, so this is the first chapter after that small forward that I wrote to give you a taste for the story.**

**I hope that it will live up to any expectations that you have as I did work very hard on this.**

**If not, I always appreciate constructive criticism and I will gladly accept any willing beta services!**

**Disclaimer: Of course, all canon characters belong to Stephenie Meyer and so does the story. **

**Thank you for baring with me and I hope you enjoy!**

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**Abrupt End**

It was daybreak and for an instant, I almost thought I could see the outline of the sun in the sky, however it went away before I could take a second look. The thick, dark clouds that always loomed above quickly subdued any bit of sunlight that threatened to show. This constant cloud cover left us in a state of perpetual darkness.

I sighed softly to myself as my stomach growled, this noise was always in my company for I simply had no means to stop it. There was never any food.

What little we did have to eat came from the filthy little animals that populated the close packed buildings of the ghetto. Any meat that was consumed was from rats captured in the many traps laid around the streets. Every few months, we might be graced by the Masters with a sack of rotten vegetables. Of course, just one for the entire district to share.

My home district, known by us locals as Mortem, was one of the many districts in the ghetto, Sanguinisti. Sanguinisti was not the only ghetto in the swamplands, but it was by far the largest, the capital so to speak. As such, the separate settlement, behind one of the many walls, was where the Masters resided.

Mortem was rather lucky when it came to the Masters, for they rarely took from our district. Even as one of the smallest districts in Sanguinisti, we still had a population of about two thousand, all packed together in a dense forest of decaying buildings, and for whatever reason, starvation was much more severe here than in other districts, making our blood not as appealing. I suppose this could be seen as a blessing, as death by starvation was accepted as a much better way to die then as food ourselves.

There were still times, however, when some of the monsters come to take a few away and bring us to the other side of the wall. All I knew about the other side of the wall was that there was a large palace of sorts where the leader of all the Masters in the swamplands resided. He was feared by all, even by the Masters, for he was the master of us all. Little was known about him except that he is rumored to have a gift that gave him an advantage over the others of his kind and that the Masters usually gave the best of their catches to him.

I shuddered, forcing these horrors into the back of my mind. I stood up from the pile of straw that was my bed in the small wooden shelter I shared with my friend, Lanette. She was still asleep in the small corner, having come home late last night after searching for a meal, ultimately coming back unsuccessful.

I had no idea how late Lanette came back, but it was clear that she was exhausted. She needed her rest and perhaps I could come back with something to eat before she awoke. That thought decided me, and I left the meager comfort of my home into the bleak district outside.

Stepping into the streets of Sanguinisti was like stepping into a sea of green. The air, thick with the fog of the swamps gave the air a tint of green. The wood of the broken buildings was rotten and covered in moss. The clothes we all wore were torn and ragged, dark green from the filth of the streets. And then every person, myself included, was green from the effects of starvation.

Many people were already out on the streets, all with the same purpose in mind. I continued to walk to the center of Mortem, where what meager food people found could be traded for other useful goods. This ramshackle market was always busy, but today it was overflowing with people. My ears were filled with the loud shouts and screams of the desperate.

I could feel my heart beat harder in my excitement. It was so rare to see this dejected population teeming with life. For the first time in months, I could see hope in the eyes of the people, and I knew that it have been present in mine as well. This rare atmosphere could only mean that we were given some food recently.

I knew I had to act quickly, such commodities never lasted long in a sea of desperate people, and I needed to get at least something, anything to even shed a small portion of the hunger I felt.

In the past weak and a half, the only nourishment that either Lanette or I had received were from the scraps of some carcasses we were able to scavenge. It was more food than we usually ever had.

As I pushed through the crowds of desperate people, I caught the scent of something rotten…potatoes, I realized were what had been given to us. A part of my mind wondered when and why they had been delivered, surely the Masters have not been paying attention to our suffering?

As I drew closer to the scene, the scent became more and more pungent. Despite the foul smell, my mouth watered at the thought of having just one potato. I could already think of how it would taste…

I forced myself back to the reality of the situation. If I didn't act quickly, I might come out with nothing at all.

As I tried to quickly formulate my best course of action, I heard a call from a very familiar voice.

"Bella!" I turned to see Lanette running towards me. I knew that she should have stayed behind and gotten her much needed rest, but the prospect of having two people in the search was far too appealing. I saw her tired eyes spark to life as she caught site of the mass of people in the center, instant comprehension followed and her face contorted into a businesslike expression.

I knew that I should greet my closest of friends but there were much more vital matters at hand. I simply pointed to the crowd and she nodded in understanding.

Splitting up, we both entered the crowd from different corners. As soon as I broke through the human barriers that surrounded then mob, I was immediately engulfed in a stampede of people, coming from all directions. In this sea of desperation, all reason was dropped and replaced with an animalistic instinct to fight for any scrap that could come your way.

People came at me from every direction, I could not move without feeling another's body against mine. I urgently scanned the mass of people, looking for any sign of the food that I knew was scattered through the wild crowd.

As I continued to struggle, my arm caught on something sharp, probably a piece of wood, and my I could feel the warm blood flow freely down my arm. I paid it no heed, because at that very moment, I viewed what must have been the most welcome sight I've ever seen.

On the ground, not three feet away from me, was a potato. It was obviously mutilated by the hundreds of feet and completely rotten, but food nonetheless.

In my desperation, I abandoned all thought, succumbing to my desperation and I dove to the ground to get it. In my peripheral vision, I could see another person, a man, much larger than myself dive to the ground at almost the same instant as I.

I must have been slightly faster than him because when my body made contact with the ground, the potato was still there and I clutched it to my chest immediately.

Keeping my precious prize locked in my arms, I stayed low to the ground as I tried to wriggle myself away from the scene. If that man tried to fight me for the food, I know that I would lose.

When I was sure that no one could see what I held in my arms, I stood up and worked to push my way out of the crowd, though I could find no opening. I glanced around looking for some sort of safe heaven, and that's when I saw the opening to an alley just a couple yards from me.

The sudden sensation that was brought from the release of the claustrophobia that I had just subjected myself to was instantaneous. My ragged breaths filled my ears as I tried to gulp down the air not marred by the swarm of people behind me.

I smiled to myself as a looked at my hard-earned prize: A moldy potato about the size of a fist. This was truly a cause for a celebration, but first I had to find Lanette who was probably still in the action, being pushed around by the frantic mob.

As I searched the crowd for any sign of my friend, I suddenly remembered the rather bloody gash that I had somehow received when preoccupied with my search.

Upon examining the wound, I could tell that it would not be fatal, so I simply tore a piece of my ragged shirt off to use as a rag and tied around my wounded arm, all pain already forgotten.

When I turned my attention back to the crowd, I frantically looked for any sign of my friend, but I could not make out any individual within such a sea of people.

I was completely detached from everything but the scene in front of me, so when I felt a tap on my shoulder, I gasped and turned around, ready to defend the precious item in my arms if need be.

"Bella, it's just me!" Lanette cried.

I clutched my galloping heart as I slid to the ground. Lanette took a look at my expression and stifled a laugh.

"The way you react, you'd think I was a master," she said, becoming abruptly seriously. I shivered at the dark thought and pushed it away from my mind.

A new thought occurred to me then. "Lanette," I asked "how did you get out of the mob?"

She just pointed to another alley, one that I guess must have had a path to this one. Somehow, she always managed to find some way to get to me, no matter what the situation was.

I shifted my gaze to her empty hands. "I guess you didn't have much luck?" This didn't surprise me, the only reason I was not in her position was because of luck.

Her gaze dropped and I could see her eyes start to water in disappointment.

I showed my potato, which until now I had been concealing in my arms and immediately her face brightened. Before I knew what happened, she was hugging me and giving thanks to no one in particular.

"This is incredible," Lanette whispered "but we'll have to make it last". I nodded in agreement. In a life where having any type of food was considered a luxury, you had to make everything you have count.

Just then, she caught sight of my crudely bandaged arm and her eyes widened. "Did you have to fight for that?" She gasped.

I laughed, "I really don't think that any of those people are armed. My arm must have caught on something".

Lanette relaxed slightly, but I could still see her discomfort, one I could only assume came from the fact that she was not able to contribute to the meal.

"Let's go," I said trying to take the guilt off my friend's mind "I really cannot stand to be here any longer than we have to".

Our scavenging had taken close to an hour and in that time; the streets of Mortem became emptier as people frantically rushed to the center to get what little they could.

As we walked, I could not help but look over my shoulders every now and then. If anyone spotted our prize, there would be a large chance that it could turn violent. Lanette seemed to realize this as well, and we both quickened our pace trying to find somewhere to hide.

We settled in a decrepit building that had clearly been abandoned for some time. I had planned to keep from eating some of the potato until later today, but severe hunger overcame the logic that I normally held.

Using my fingers, I ripped the mushy vegetable in half, and then I broke a half into two, offering one piece to Lanette.

The action of having something edible in my mouth brought the sweetest feeling of ecstasy that I have felt for months. The spoiled taste and off texture were easy to ignore as I savored the small burden that was immediately lifted from my empty stomach.

I sighed in bliss, and for a moment, I almost forgot everything. For a moment, I forgot the miserable life that we all struggled to live through. For a moment, I felt safe.

Tucking the last half of the potato away, I stood up and looked through an opening in the wooden wall. The streets were now almost completely deserted, an unusual sight compared to a usual day.

Though I had not planned on it, I could not help the thinking that if we went back, we could get a little bit more to eat.

"Do you think that we should go back to the center – see if we get lucky?" Lanette asked suddenly, completely in tune with my own thoughts. Of course she would want more as well, anybody would.

I grinned, "I was thinking the very same thing. Let's go".

Together, we left our small refuge, and started back to the district center. We had been gone for a while, so surely there was not much left, if we would have any chance of getting any more food we would have to hurry.

We quickened our pace to a run, though the lack of sustenance made the action so much harder.

It was hard to focus on anything but the wild scene that we were now very close to, but what I saw was so bizarre for the situation that I had to stop.

Running empty-handed, _away_ from the crowd, was a familiar face, one who I very rarely saw outside of the Mortem center, for he was a regular there on a normal day.

"Benjamin!" I called to him. He slowed his pace and turned to where he heard his name called. As I caught sight of his face, I could not understand the emotion it possessed. It was like a strange combination of purpose and outright _fear_.

"Benjamin," I said softly as Lanette and I approached him "what's wrong?"

Clearly uncomfortable at having been stopped, he started taking in panicked breaths as his eyes flew wildly from the scene in the center and back to us.

"What happened?" Lanette demanded, her voice uneasy as she took in Benjamin's expression.

"You need to run!" Benjamin gasped. "They're going to come, I know it!"

"What do you mean," I asked, trying to keep my voice calm, "who's coming?"

"_Masters_!" He spit, and I felt my heartbeat grow rapidly at the mention of the name. The Masters couldn't be coming, it had been months since they last came! Why now? And how was Benjamin so sure?

"How can you know that?" Lanette asked, her voice shaking as his words registered in her mind. "There hasn't been a collection for months, why would they come now?"

"It all makes sense…everything." Benjamin was muttering to himself, completely ignoring us.

"Benjamin, you need to get a hold of yourself!" I cried. How could he possibly know that there would be a collection?

His eyes focused on my face and I could see the anxiety that was there, "Do you remember the last time the Masters came?"

I shudder crept up my spine and my eyes began to water as I recalled the last horrible collection. All those people…

"It must have been around four months ago," Lanette answered.

Benjamin nodded quietly, "And can you remember the last time any food was given to Mortem?"

The last time that food was given seemed like years before. "It must have been a few months ago," I said, not able to remember the exact time.

Benjamin shuddered violently and I could see that he was about to lose himself. "It was at the same time as the last collection!" He screeched, tears started to flood his eyes, "My sister was taken on that day, she…she was trying to get a beet!"

He began to sob violently at the memory. When his sister and others were taken, almost no one would go outside, everyone petrified of meeting a similar fate. It was hard to remember that the same day that brought so much terror had also brought some food.

I knew what Benjamin must have been getting at, "Do you mean to say…"

"It's connected!" He screamed, "The food brings everyone in one place…it makes us easier to hunt!"

Lanette turned towards me, her eyes fearful. "Do…do you think he's right, Bella?" She asked. Her entire body was beginning to tremble.

I could not answer her immediately; it was all so much to think about. It was something I didn't _want_ to think about, because I knew that all it would bring was an even deeper sense of hopelessness.

Was the collection before the last one the same? I couldn't remember. It was as if the fear induced from these events took away any recollection of anything else.

My breathing became harder as my entire psyche crumbled before me.

As I stood, trying to make sense of Benjamin's logic, I could feel Lanette shake my shoulder.

"Bella?" Her voice cracked as she said my name, hysteria breaking in, but I was still frozen.

It was then that I heard screaming.

Making my head to turn to the ear-piercing noise, I witnessed the entire mob in the center scatter wildly, a wave of panic overtaking the crowd.

I could not make myself run, I just scanned frantically for the source of the disturbance. Of course I couldn't see it, for they were much too fast.

It was only when I heard the most blood-curdling snarl that my mind began to think again.

A collection was occurring.

My legs trembled causing me to almost collapse, but I didn't. I couldn't. I forced my legs to move so that I could flee. Everything was a blur around me, my only thought was of reaching safety from the horror that I knew was occurring around me.

Tears streamed down my face as I listened to the helpless pleas of innocent people as they were taken.

Suddenly, I felt the presence of hundreds of people, all running in my direction, away from the center. I was in an endless stampede of panicked prey, all trying to escape death. My body tossed around like a sack, and I could feel fresh bruises cover my body. I tried to escape the swarm, but the torrent of bodies was too powerful.

I collapsed to the ground in pain, but the frantic people did not stop, trampling over me as if I was no different that the street.

A small gap in the stampede caught my attention, and, using every last bit of energy I had, I crawled out of the street and into a decimated building.

I tried to reign in my breaths, but they just came out as pants. This building was far too close to the center and I needed to leave, but there was no way that I could go out into the street again.

Feral snarls and desperate screams filled my ears as I limped through the maze of alleys. Not able to move any further, I fell down a few yards from a mound of waste, hoping that it would mask my presence.

That was when I remembered it. Looking to my right shoulder where I had cut myself earlier, the wound was caked over in dry blood.

I gasped aloud as the realization hit me. Vampires were hunting us, and I had exposed blood, something that was usually considered a death sentence when a collection was occurring. If they caught my scent..._  
_

I needed to keep moving and get as much distance from the center as possible.

Every muscle in my body screamed in protest as I trudged along the alleyway as fast as I could. I tried to ignore the spasms that I felt in my chest as I thought about the people whose lives would be ended.

I hadn't ever known any Masters to come this far from the most densely populated area of Mortem, but I had to keep moving, my blood…

As I attempted to turn into another alley, I felt pressure on my shoulder. My breathing stopped and I whirled around in terror, but a hand clamped my mouth shut.

"Shh, it's only me. We need to move, now!" Lanette whispered. A bruise was developing on her cheek, but overall, she seemed to be in much better condition than myself.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I embraced her. If she had been taken…

"Let's go," She said and together, we continued to move through the alleys.

I could hear the screams grow quieter as we put more distance between us and the center of Mortem, and I could feel the relief radiate throughout my body.

However, this relief was short-lived as my injuries that I had acquired in the stamped came to the forefront of my mind. Every movement I made caused pain, but I knew that I had to keep running. I tried to keep a steady pace, but my body was so battered that I could barely keep up a limp.

Noticing my discomfort, Lanette slowed to a stop so that I could catch my breath, leaning against a building for support as the pain of my injuries struck in full force.

It all happened very quickly then.

As I clutched my stomach against the agony, I suddenly felt hard, icy fingers around my throat.

My back hit the ground and I gasped for breath as I tried to comprehend what was going on. I looked up and my entire body seemed to spasm as I saw the vampire standing before me.

I thought I heard Lanette scream, but I couldn't concentrate on her. I felt tears stream down my face as I tried to crawl away, but no sooner had I tried that the back of my shirt was grasped and the world started to blur around me.

"Bella!" The faint cry was barely audible as I was dragged away at inhuman speed.

A piercing screech left my mouth as I tried to fight against my captor, but there was nothing that I could do. He was the predator and I was his prey. But in my panic, I abandoned all logic as I struggled to free myself. My frantic screams were soon replaced by hysterical sobs.

Everything I did was futile.

It was then that I knew that my life was over.

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**End Notes:**

**This doesn't look good at all does it? Poor Bella.**

**Wow this chapter took much longer than I expected to write, but I think it was worth it. **

**As always, I would love to hear your thoughts so please do review!**


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